The Silent Muse
by TheLonelyWillow
Summary: "Music expresses what cannot be said, and what cannot be silent." In which a Fairy Tail music mage spreads the usual love and chaos befitting her guild's reputation, as well as receiving some of it for herself.
1. Preface

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words, and that which cannot be silent."

Victor Hugo


	2. Adagio

In the magical, grassy and lush countryside of Fiore, a lone train blew it whistle and released clouds of steam from its chimney.

Inside, four wizards and a little blue cat sat together, quietly discussing a mission.

"So what's in the town?" Gray asked.

"There's someone there who might be able to help us." Erza said seriously. "If I'm correct in my assumptions about Lullaby, then she's the person we need to see."

"Do you think-" Lucy grunted as she shifted Natsu's body to a more stable position over her shoulders and repeated her query in full. "Do you think this person knows anything more about Lullaby?"

"Whether she does or not, it's our only lead to exactly what Eisenwald is planning to do with it." Erza looked out the window, her eyes sharp.

"I just hope we haven't missed her."

* * *

It was a pleasant summer morning in Onibas, if not rather warm. People milled about the town, going about their daily activities, smiling and greeting one another as they passed by. Merchants called out their wares in the heart of town from their various shops. One particular shop had very good business that warm summer morning; the vendor waving a hearty farewell to a departing young man and woman from his doorstep, bidding them to return someday.

Liquid vanilla disappeared from mocha skin as a bright pink tongue licked a trail up her arm.

"Tuli, must you lick it instead of using a napkin?" Vijeeter Ecor sweatdropped, grimacing as he handed his companion a kerchief from his satchel. "Your arm's all sticky now."

Tuli grinned sunnily at him and ate the remainder of her ice cream cone whole, baked waffle and all. She continued to smile cheekily even around her bulging cheeks.

Vijeeter simply sighed and wiped the sticky white mess from around her lips with the handkerchief. "Why do I put up with you?"

She widened her eyes to bug-eyed proportions, turning her head just right towards the sunlight to make them sparkle, poked her cheek with a finger and stuck out her tongue. Vijeeter assumed it was supposed to be an attempt at a cute face.

It was, but Vijeeter wasn't about to _tell_ her that.

"Well, we'd better get going. The train leaves in about an hour." Vijeeter secured his satchel over his shoulder. "Maybe I'll be able to get those tap shoes I saw in the window on the way here..."

Tuli worked on swallowing the large amount of food as they walked through the town square. She meticulously licked each sticky finger while Vijeeter went on speaking. "It's a shame Reedus couldn't accompany us this time; we really could have used a Vulcan or two against those thieves." He grunted when a very firm pat on the back knocked him off balance. He stumbled, but quickly regained the rhythm in which he always walked. Glaring at Tuli he huffed, but her bright smile was too contagious for him to stay irritated. She jabbed quick punches in thin air and pumped one fist high above her head, grinning triumphantly.

"I suppose we did kick butt, didn't we?" Vijeeter closed his eyes in contentment for a moment, basking in the satisfaction of the well earned victory.

A tug to the sleeve of his jumpsuit broke the moment. He stopped walking.

"Hm? What is it... _ugh."_ He cut himself off in exasperation.

Tuli had her hands and face pressed to the glass window of an old antique shop. Her breath made steady puffs out of her wide open mouth and fogged up the glass as she ogled a beautifully made antique violin that sat as the centerpiece to the shop's window display.

"No." He deadpanned. Absolutely not." Had she a voice, Vijeeter was certain he would have elicited a whine from the girl as he dragged her away by her collar. "You've already spent half your cut on that ice cream buffet, you'll not blow the rest on my watch! Don't you need an additional ten thousand jewel to cover your rent this month?"

Even as Tuli kicked and struggled, desperately holding out a begging hand to the violin as it grew smaller with distance, Vijeeter stood his ground. "I said no! Now stop being a brat and let's get to the station!" He ignored the stares of the square's passerby; he knew they were a sight to see: A young man with long, girlish hair in a skin tight bodysuit dragging along a wild haired, dark skinned girl who appeared as if someone had magically turned her volume all the way down to save their eardrums, what with the way she struggled.

Eventually she crossed her arms and pouted, purposely going limp and letting her feet drag out in front of her and making Vijeeter wish he could simply mail her to the guild. But then there wouldn't be anything to entertain him. Plus, he'd be out of a best friend and decent dance partner.

The sacrifices he made.

After a while, Tuli deigned to stand on her own. She tugged free, landed on her back and nimbly jumped to her feet. Vijeeter eyed her boredly as she turned her nose up and haughtily walked off in front of him, taking only her personal bag and leaving him to carry their luggage.

"Oh, _spare me_. I did you a favor, you chit."

Tuli haughtily flipped her hair.

They walked in silence until the smoothly paved road became cobblestone pathways and the sounds of loud train whistles, hissing steam and shouting train conductors calling passengers to board were within range.

"Alright," Vijeeter pulled out their tickets. "Our train should have pulled in just this minute, so we'd better hurry if we want good seats-" He was cut off by a mouthful of hair; Tuli had abruptly stopped in his path, staring at something.

 _"Now_ what? Honestly, we're going to miss the train if we keep dilly dallying!"

It was then Vijeeter noticed that the shorter girl was trembling rather violently, and had turned a few shades paler than was probably healthy. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her face was stricken, as if she had seen something truly frightening.

"Tuli, what's the..." Vijeeter's voice died as he caught what was in her line of sight-or rather, _whom._

The blood promptly drained from his own face and he gulped at the beautiful redhead with ridiculous amounts of luggage making her way in their general direction, accompanied by two others.

"Ohhhh dear..."

The two of them stood rooted to the spot in growing dread as the redhead drew closer.

"Please, under Mavis and everything sacred, _tell me you were on good behavior for the past few weeks,"_ Vijeeter's voice, in his terror, was a cross between a panicked hiss and a fearful whimper. _"Please!"_

Somehow, she grew even paler.

"Why, why, _why?"_ The dancer was in near tears. He pulled at his hair. "I've been good!" He bemoaned to no one in particular. "I've been well behaved. I don't dance in the guild hall anymore!" He buried his face in his hands. "Why must I be caught in the crossfire?" He then looked to the heavens and raised his arms in frustration. "Why must I suffer?! _Ow!"_ Vijeeter rubbed the abused, freshly twisted skin on his cheek. "You horrible little _imp_ you, _what was that for?!"_

Tuli zipped her lips, put a finger to them and frantically mimed other gestures for him to shut his mouth. She grabbed his face with a hand (and Vijeeter barely had the time to lament on how silly his squeezed cheeks must have looked) and forced him to look at their mark again.

They watched the redhead move through the crowd, unceremoniously shoving people out of her way. A caught glimpse of her face froze the blood within them as it revealed an almost predatory expression.

"She hasn't spotted us yet," Vijeeter gasped. "Perhaps if we silently make our way..." When he turned to quietly sneak off he noticed Tuli already a few yards ahead of him, doing exactly that and leaving Vijeeter behind, much to his aggravation.

"Don't you dare!" he hissed. "You'll not leave me here alone-"

"Vijeeter!" A strong voice called his name, and he squeaked. His normally fluid and flexible dancer's muscles locked up, failing him utterly. "Stay right where you are!"

Like a statue he stood, frozen in his position as his doom drew near.

 _This. This is it. I'll end up paying for the crimes that wretched changeling must have committed._

Yet he thought to himself, that if he must die today, he should at least do so as a man. Or at least, as close to one as he could get through his fear. So Vijeeter called upon the last scraps of his dignity and squared his shoulders, turning around and facing his demise as she approached him, pointedly ignoring the burn of apprehension in his blood and the ice that froze his nerves.

She stopped in front of him (along with Gray and a blonde girl he didn't recognize), and Vijeeter looked fear in the eye.

"Erza, it's been a while." _Not nearly long enough._

To his surprise, Erza smiled warmly. "Yes, it has been a while, hasn't it? I'm always glad to see a member of my family as well."

Vijeeter could only hear a ringing echo through the blunt force trauma of his head smashing against her metal breast plate. A hug from Erza Scarlet; _lovely._

"A-ah, yes, it's good to see you too."

"Lucy!" Vijeeter clutched his head, trying to recover from the bout of dizziness of being promptly shoved away from the hug as Erza addressed whoever. "This is Vijeeter. Say hello, you'd do well to get familiar with your new guildmates."

"Uh...hi?" Vijeeter looked up to see three of a blonde holding...some sort of snowman? A dog? He couldn't tell, everything was wiggling.

"Vijeeter, this is Lucy. She just joined."

"Ah. Hello, miss. Normally I'd greet you properly but I'm..ah..."

"Don't worry, I totally get it."

"I had to ask Mirajane," Erza interjected, "About Tuli's whereabouts, and she let us know that the two of you were on a job here." She peered at Vijeeter, and he felt himself begin to sweat bullets. "She doesn't seem to be here with you."

"A-ah, yes, well." He rubbed the back of his head. "The thing is, I'm sure whatever she's done this time can't have been _too_ horrible, right?" He stuttered nervously and attempted to smile, though judging by the subtly pitying look on Gray's face, he had faltered badly.

"Your loyalty and willingness to sacrifice yourself for the sake of your teammate is admirable, but you can't afford to do so now, Vijeeter." Erza's voice was deadly calm, more serious than he had ever heard, and Vijeeter suddenly got the inkling that something was truly wrong.

"You sound serious."

"I am. There's an extremely important matter at hand, and I'm in desperate need of Tuli's knowledge."

He studied Erza. She looked quite earnest, and a little fearful too, although that could have been a concussion induced hallucination. Nevertheless...

"I see," Vijeeter straightened himself and turned around. "Well, then I suppose I'll fetch her and-"

He stopped in his tracks. At that very moment a whistle blew loudly, and a locomotive slowly chugged out of the station.

"She's gone! Why that _little-!"_

"Do you mean Tuli?" Erza demanded. "Tell me where she's gone at once!"

Vijeeter heard his conscience echo in his own voice within the depths of his mind. _You can either rat her out, or protect her from a terrible fate, Vijeeter._

Vijeeter pointed behind him. "She went that way."

Erza immediately bulldozed her way through the station's crowd and left him there with Gray, Happy, and the new girl and her pet.

"So." Gray put his hands in his pockets. "How was the job?"

* * *

Tuli cautiously looked around her, making sure she was hidden in the crowd before she boarded the train.

She sighed silently; looking over her shoulder as the doors closed. A flash of red hair prompted her to _very quickly_ move forward.

The train cars in the front were packed with amiably chatting passengers, inciting a comforting hum. However, there was no space, so Tuli moved to the quieter, emptier cars further back. She ended up bumping into a man much taller than her in the narrow corridor.

Tuli, who only came up to his neck, had to look up to see his face, and noticed his hair was styled in a way that made his head look like a black topped pineapple.

"Hey there," He said, not unkindly. "Watch where you're going, alright?" He smiled, not unkindly. "Someone your size could get hurt, yeah?"

Tuli, remembering her manners, bowed a few times to apologize. "Ah, no need for that. Tell you what, maybe if we got something to eat together, I might forgive you. What do you say?"

Tuli peered at him. He smiled pleasantly, and carried himself in a rather amicable way: hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed. She continued to stare at him, keeping her face expressionless.

"Uh…" He grew nervous. "L-look, I'm not propositioning you or anything, I swear!" His expression turned sheepish, and he rubbed his neck while looking away. "Honestly, I just finished a mission for my guild-I'm a wizard, by the way-and I guess I'd like some company on the ride home. You wouldn't mind, would you? You seem like good conversation."

She smirked wryly at him. It was random, but Tuli was satisfied. He seemed genuine enough, and it'd probably do her well to keep her mind off the hole she'd just dug herself. So she shrugged and pointed to an empty seat not to far away from the full coach in front of them.

"Looks good to me. I'm Kageyama, by the way."

Tuli jubilantly shook his hand.

* * *

"So," Vijeeter made to clarify. "You're after a dark guild that wants to fulfill an evil scheme with a magic simply known as "Lullaby."

"Yup."

"And you have no idea what they might be planning, or what Lullaby is."

"Uh huh."

"And because it's called "Lullaby," Vijeeter pinched the bridge of his nose. "You assumed Tuli would know what it is?"

"That's about the gist of it." Gray leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "Other than that, Erza didn't tell us anything."

"Eisenwald…" Vijeeter muttered. "I can't say I've heard the name, but Lullaby does ring a bell. I just can't recall it…"

"Let me know if you get it."

The two of them sat on a bench nearby. Lucy had tentatively gone after Erza (with a reluctant Happy in tow) to see if she could keep her from doing anything too drastic.

How Vijeeter envied her naivete.

He sighed and crossed his arms, closing his own eyes. "Well, in any case, at least she's safe from Erza."

"Mhm."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, content in not saying anything.

A loud warning bell began to ring and the sound of screeching tracks in the distance shattered the tranquil atmosphere.

"Hey lady! What do you think your doing?!"

"Aaaand there it goes." Gray drawled. Vijeeter nodded in concurrence. "Well, let's go see what mess we made this time." They both stood up walked towards the scene of a gathered crowd.

"We left Natsu on the train and Erza knocked out a guard and pulled the emergency lever and-!" Lucy was panicking, relaying what had recently transpired.

"Huh. Completely forgot about him." Gray mused.

"Natsu was with you?" Vijeeter asked incredulously. "Why?"

"They're Fairy's Tails strongest Team!" Happy piped up. "And Lucy came along for the ride!"

"I was asked to come! And why am I not included?" Vijeeter gaped as she began to rather maliciously poke at, pinch and stretch Happy's cheeks.

"T-team? The three of you? Team?"

"Hopefully just for this mission." Gray said lowly.

"That's...that's one mission too many…" Vijeeter shook uncomfortably and put a hand to his head. Perhaps he was having dreams induced from head trauma.

"Oh, what have I been dragged into? Fate truly is a cruel mistress."

"What's that? You finally get laid or something, man?"

"Just...just shut up, Gray."

* * *

"So you can't talk? Not a single word?"

Tuli shook her head.

"And on top of that, you can't even make noise?" Another head shake. "Wow. When you made that face earlier...this is what you meant, huh?" Kageyama ran a hand through his hair, chuckling. "Just my luck to pick a conversation partner who can't speak. Ah well, we can make do, right?"

The sat across from each other, where a small table meant for eating separated them.

Tuli gave him a leer and raised her hands to the window, and made shadow puppets on the table.

"Ahaa, how funny. I totally haven't heard that joke before." Tuli smiled sweetly at him. "You're something else."

For a while Kageyama did most of the talking, chatting idly about vague memories of his childhood and such. He played a game of yes or no to communicate, and things were nice. Tuli felt at ease. When it got to talking (or rather, listening) about the current state of affairs, however, things turned a little less calm.

"I mean, it isn't fair!" Kageyama huffed. "The Magic Council can just bring the hammer down on any guild it wants, without any cause, and everyone follows their whims like sheep on the pasture!" His hands clenched into fists. "They don't even fight for their rights, they don't even care. Hundreds of wizards are put out of work, or blacklisted from even taking jobs because suddenly their guild is kicked out of the order and labeled dark!"

Tuli didn't know exactly what to do, so she simply put a hand on his and patted it.

Kageyama let out a huff. "Yeah, best not to get worked up. You're right."

Tuli nodded quickly, smiling encouragingly at him.

"Besides, it'll all be fixed soon. There's always a way." Kageyama smiled back, and Tuli faltered just a little.

There was an underlying steel in his voice. She could hear it.

"Anyway, there's no reason to get in a tizzy, even if it does make me sick."

Suddenly they heard a loud, miserable groan.

"...kinda like that." Kageyama turned around in his seat and Tuli stuck her head out to the side. What she saw floored her.

Natsu was there, sitting with his head down. He heaved a little and slunk lower in his seat, looking pale, sweaty, and absolutely ill.

"Geez, that guy look like motion sickness hits him pretty hard." Kageyama turned back. "Hey, what's the matter? What are you doing down there?"

Tuli huddled as close to the window as possible, curled up in a ball.

Kageyama cast another quick glance behind him. "You know him?" He looked at Tuli, and she tried to make herself even smaller.

"Is he after you or something?" She shook her head. "Enemies?" Another shake. "I could get rid of him for you, if you like." A firm head shake. "So why are you hiding from him?"

That was a question she didn't feel like answering. Instead, she rummaged through her bag.

"What are you looking for?" Kageyama asked. His answer soon came when she pulled out a simple wooden flute.

"You play?"

Tuli put the flute to her lips and gently blew. Soon a soft, soothing melody perfused the air, and a small magic circle appeared at the end piece. Golden magical notes, translucent and delicate, drifted through the air like leaves on the wind and surrounded the ailing pinkette, and Kageyama gaped when he saw the pallid, sweaty face turn right again, and slowly, the boy grew healthier.

When the song ended, Kageyama felt calmer than he ever had in recent weeks, and he noticed the boy looked as if he had never been sick.

"What...happened…" Natsu blinked at his surroundings. "I'm still on the train. It's moving. I'm on a moving train."

 _Not the sharpest tack in the box, is he?_ Kageyama thought to himself.

"...and I'm not SICK!" Natsu roared triumphantly, standing up. "Hell yeah!"

As he pumped his fist, Kageyama caught sight of the red guild mark on his right shoulder.

 _Fairy Tail._ He looked over to his new little, who was putting her flute away. _And she's a music mage, huh?_

 _Things are getting pretty interesting._


	3. Accelerando

_Accelerando: A symbol used in musical notation indicating to gradually quicken tempo._

 _In which events start to gain speed..._

* * *

Kageyama wasn't expecting the train to lurch so violently when he stood up.

He figured he'd mess around with Fairy Tail punk, maybe put his little friend at ease; show her a glimpse of the true world they lived in. Apparently, that same world was a place where carefully made plans could go to shit in an instant.

In that instant, the following happened:

Kageyama tripped and fell flat on his face, all but kissing the wooden floor (and quite possibly fracturing his nose).

The Fairy Tail fly (unaware of the predicament at hand due to his ridiculous happy dance; seriously, what the hell was his damage?) somehow crashed out the window in an outrageous display of flailing limbs and shattered glass.

And the Lullaby fell out of his pocket and rolled backwards, right to the feet of the music mage he planned to have play it.

Kageyama liked things to be simple. Easy. But when she took one look at the flute and paled in terror, then looked at him in disbelief, Kageyama cursed the complications he now had to deal with.

 _Regrettable,_ he thought, _but you gotta do what you gotta do._

Kageyama stood, and calmly picked up Lullaby. He solemnly summoned his shadows and walked slowly toward her as she hastily backed up in her seat, her back meeting the wall of the darkened train car.

With a demeanor beaten into him by his time in the dark, he avoided the betrayal in those bright, green eyes. He didn't want it to affect him. He didn't need his resolve crumbling; especially not now, not when he was so close to reaching his goals.

Still...

"Sorry." Kageyama raised a hand, and she was engulfed in the shadows, her mouth open in a silent scream.

* * *

"One hundred thousand jewel."

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"Two hundred thousand."

"Lady, I told you, the answer is no!"

Lucy, Happy, and the boys watched as Erza employed her... _special_ brand of haggling with the irate owner of a Magic Mobile. The man in question looked to be a street thug, dressed in a shirt with the collar popped up and baggy jeans with numerous chains on them. The look was completed with a rather gaudy pair of gold painted sunglasses.

Erza pursed her lips and sighed in defeat. "...Fine. If this is what it's come to, then so be it." She summoned a very sizeable wad of cash from thin air with a sparkling flash. "Five hundred thousand jewel. That's all the money I have." Her armored hand thrust it out to her mark. "Take it."

To those who knew better, this wasn't an offering of negotiation.

"I don't care how much chump change you offer me, it's not going to get you my Magic Mobile!"

"I require the use of your vehicle. It's an urgent matter of life and death."

" _That's the fifth time you said that, and it's still NO!"_

"... am I the only one who noticed that she didn't once say please?"

"Personally, I don't blame him. The poor man is being accosted, after all."

"That's Erza for you. You'll get used to it. Eventually."

In hindsight, Lucy figured she should have been immune to whatever shocks her new guildmates could throw at her next, but she couldn't help but gape at the boys' complete lack of reaction to Erza Scarlet trying to bully a (to his credit, very obstinate) man into giving her his vehicle, by any means necessary.

First, it had been a simple order to hand over the car; a polite request, by Erza's standards. When that hadn't worked, she had resorted to bribery. Lucy could only wonder when she would move on to violence.

"This is a waste of time," Vijeeter grumbled, crossing his arms. "We should be headed after Tuli."

"And Natsu!" Happy piped up.

"We don't all have your stamina, Vijeeter. Just let Erza do her thing."

Lucy sweatdropped and sighed. Why did she say yes to Mira again?

After some time (in which Erza lost her patience and summoned a _very large_ and scary black sword and finally threatened the owner with bodily harm, to which he very generously lent them his vehicle), the were finally on the road en route towards the train. Everyone struggled to hold on as Erza siphoned enough magic into the SE plug to go at breakneck speed.

"Erza!" Vijeeter cried as he stuck his head out of the window, his hair whipping about wildly. "Do slow down, or Gray will fly off!"

"We haven't the time!" She called back, her voice slightly muffled by the rush of air. "He'll be fine!"

"You won't be, if you keep wasting all your magic power making this dumpy thing go fast!" Gray could barely be heard, but his message was clear. "Natsu's fine, the train's stopped anyway, remember?"

At this point in time, a long, low whistle echoed nearby.

Lucy, who had stuck her head out the other window (partially to avoid Happy's insulting mumbling) noticed the contrary quickly. She stuck out an arm and pointed. "Doesn't look like it! They must have started the train up again from the station!"

True to her word, as the lumbering locomotive came into their view, they witnessed it slowly chugging further and further away, stacks of smoke rising from the chimney.

"It's gaining speed, we'll never catch up!" Vijeeter shouted.

Erza grinned sharply. "Then we'll just have to go faster."

" _FASTER THAN THIS?!"_ Everyone cried out in unison. Any additional protests were lost to the wind as Erza powered up to the point where the light of magic outlined her body in a soft, white glow. The SE plug glowed in response and the began to work overtime, shooting the MagicMobile to a near lightning pace. Above the rushing of air and the loud noises of the train, no one could hear the terrified screams of the passengers.

Within seconds they caught up to the train, and it took a few seconds more for Natsu to crash out of a window and fly straight into grays forehead.

Lucy counted her lucky stars they didn't crash.

After an abrupt stop, the Fairy Tail wizards piled out of the MagicMobile to collect Gray and Natsu from the ground. The two of them griped at each other for a moment before Happy shot straight into Natsu's arms, sobbing dramatically.

"You're okay!"

"'Course I am! No dumb train can keep me down!"

Natsu suddenly stood ramrod straight, as if hit with an epiphany. "Happy, I defeated the train."

This garnered a bewildered look from everyone present. "...huh?"

"I rode that train and I wasn't sick, Hap!" Natsu clenched his fists and threw them over his head in victory. "Nothing can stop me now!" He boisterously laughed.

Happy had stars in his eyes. "You did?!"

"Oh man, it was the greatest thing, Happy! I was on the train and I was all ill and stuff, right? But then I heard this flute and it was like woosh! And I was completely fine!"

"You got all better?!"

"Hell yeah I got better, it was great! Man, if I could ride trains like that all the time it'd be awesome!"

"You'd get to see all the sights!"

"I wouldn't be too sick to eat train food!"

The two of them continued chattering excitedly, feeding off of each other's energy and getting steadily louder. Gray was off to the side, rolling a cigarette between his fingers and looking off towards where the train had departed, and Erza was looking more and more impatient with each passing moment. The Magic Mobile was making pitiful sputtering noises as it siphoned unsteady bursts of magic energy from her forearm.

It was hard for Lucy to keep track of it all, let alone try to get a word in edgewise. Suddenly a black blur moved by so fast that it left a tailwind in its wake that ruffled her hair.

"What the—?"

" _Where is she?!"_

"Eh? Oh Vijeeter, it's you? How's it goin' man, how ya been—" He was cut off by his own choking, due to Vijeeter abruptly twisting his hands into Natsu's lapels and hauling him face to face rather brutishly. The Dragon Slayer began to sweat at the crazed look in Vijeeter's eyes. "...Uhhh…"

Vijeeter gave him a small shake. "Natsu, you fool, Tuli was on that train! Don't tell me you heard a flute song _and didn't see her!"_

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. " _Tuli?_ What was _she_ doing on the train?!"

Vijeeter let out a strangled noise of fury and frustration, rapidly shaking Natsu until his head started comically lolling back and forth. "You _idiot!"_

"Hey!" Natsu shoved Vijeeter's hand off and bared his teeth. "Don't get mad at me, I'm not the one who lost their own partner!"

Vijeeter didn't let up for a second. "There is a _dark guild_ involved here, and she is in possible danger! How could you not have seen her?!"

Natsu blinked in confusion, his hostile defense gone without a trace. "A dark guild?"

"Vijeeter." The dancer whirled on who addressed him, and let loose a glare on Gray, who coolly stared back. "We all know Natsu's an idiot—" he ignored Natsu's background shout of _Say that to my face, you icy bastard!_ "But he'd be the absolute last of us to leave a guild member behind." At this logic, Vijeeter visibly deflated, and Gray put a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Besides, wherever she is, I'm sure Tuli's fine."

"I can't help but worry…" Vijeeter smiled mirthlessly, and looked off to the distance in the direction the train had gone, staring down the empty tracks. "Wherever she is, I just hope she isn't hurt...or doing something _monumentally_ stupid."

"That's the spirit. Definitely sounds like her." Gray gave him a pat and moved aside, only to come face to face with an angry Natsu on fire.

" _So I'm an idiot, huh?"_ he snarled.

"You don't see me denying it," Gray retorted icily.

They stared each other down for a few tense moments before they erupted into their respective elements, charging at each other with fierce battle cries.

Both suddenly ended up on the ground, moaning in agony and clutching their heads, which sported throbbing bumps. Gray even bled a miniscule amount.

"Our first priority is getting Tuli back. Then we will apprehend Eisenwald." Erza adjusted her gauntlets, and side-eyed the two boys on the ground as they cowered in each other's arms. "And _then_ I will teach Natsu to _listen_ when something important is being discussed."

Vijeeter and Lucy wisely stood off ten feet aside from the three.

"She's already forgotten that she was the one who knocked him unconscious during the discussion, hasn't she?"

"Excessive violence will do that to a sharp mind."

"Aye!" Happy concurred, his mouth full of mackerel.

* * *

It was dark. She couldn't see. She couldn't _hear._

Primal fear bloomed ugly in her chest like a rotting flower, and burst into flames as that fear turned to panic. She thrashed and kicked and struggled as if possessed, feeling heavy resistance against her foot that felt like a thick, heavy blanket give ever so slightly, but otherwise held firm.

She was trapped. She pulled at her hair, gripped at her arms and beat at her own body for some sensation, _anything_ to confirm that she was _still there._

She screamed until her throat began to itch, and no sound came from her.

Just like always.

* * *

Scores of stunned, frightened passengers watched as the damaged train slowly chugged out of Kunugi Station, gaining speed on the track before completely disappearing.

The foreman managed to break hurried to the control room as fast as he could, stumbling to his office and nearly knocking down his pet snail's terrarium. The little creature let out a squeak and retreated into its shell. The foreman caught his breath and put his palm over the smooth surface of the communications Lacrima, and it glowed bright.

"Magic Council, Oshibana Branch!" He cried. The Lacrima began to periodically glitter and flash, once, twice, and once more before it shone brightly, then faded to reveal the image of an Amphibian Servant, who nasally recited:

"This is the Magic Council, Oshibana Branch Office. Please state your business clearly."

"A band of Dark Wizards have just hijacked the train bound for Clover at Kunugi Station! Nobody's hurt, but the train's next stop is Oshibana Station! You need to prepare Rune Knights to arrest them! Please hurry!"

Far from this conversation, inside the moving train, a far more sinister one took place.

"Let me understand this correctly. You not only exposed the Lullaby to a passerby, but you let some Legal Guild scum escape you _alive_?"

Kageyama clenched his teeth as he nursed his bruised cheek. Erigor looked down at him from his precarious perch atop his scythe handle, the blade lodged in the wooden floor of the train. An entire squad of Eisenwald wizards all stood by, giving as wide a berth as the train car would allow to the two of them, so as not to get in Erigor's way.

The Reaper sneered. "Well? Not going to explain yourself, Kageyama?"

"The train was stopped in the middle of the track," Kageyama muttered, "And the Fairy Tail kid was knocked out of the window-" Kageyama abruptly stopped talking when Erigor's expression darkened dangerously, a shadow cast over his face.

" _Fairy Tail?"_

"He didn't see the Lullaby, he didn't even know who I was, I swear!"

"H-hey, Kageyama," Both Kageyama and Erigor turned to look at who spoke.

A portly wizard with a slight hunch and perpetually cowardly expression stepped forward, wringing his hands. He nervously rubbed the place above his lips (where his nose would be, but he had none) with a thumb.

"...Better have something important to say, Karacka." Erigor said quietly. "I'm getting impatient with all these setbacks."

Karacka whimpered inaudibly and stammered, "I'm sorry, sir, b-but, Kage…" Karacka wrung his hands a little more frantically now and shakily pointed to a small, shadowy black mass that floated behind him, relatively close and almost unnoticeable, connected to Kageyama's own shadow. "What's that?"

"Yes, I'd like to know that as well, Kageyama."

Kageyama stood up, his expression emotionless. He then released his magic, and the shadowy mass floated before him, separated from his shadow and expanded exponentially before the darkness dissipated.

"...a girl?" Erigor asked flatly.

"Insurance." Kageyama said flatly, summoning three shadowy limbs to restrain the girl _(not his friend, an asset to the plan)_ as soon as she stood. As she got her bearing she began to kick and struggle violently, but to no avail. Kageyama ignored the fearful glint in her eyes and continued to speak. "Even if we have the Lullaby, there's no telling what would happen if just anyone played it. We don't have musicians in our ranks, and just playing the flute without knowing what could happen could kill us all. So," Kageyama willed the shadows to lift the girl up to float at Erigor's eye level. "I brought us a musician."

A sinister gleam entered Erigor's eyes and his face twisted into a sickly pleased grin. "I see." He hopped off his scythe and slung it over his shoulder, stalking towards the girl. "Well, how _kind_ of you to help us, Miss!" he said to her. The rest of the men snickered and guffawed. Erigor tilted his head, looking her right in the eye. "I think this may be the start of a beautiful partnership, don't you? Imagine," He spread his arms in a grandiose gesture. "First the Guild Masters at Clover Town, tomorrow, the Magic Council-" Abruptly, Erigor was cut off by his own howl of surprised pain, and he suddenly reared back, clutching his eye. His scythe clattered to the floor of the car.

Kageyama could not find it in him to feel anything but utter shock.

No one had expected the girl to deliver fierce a headbutt The Reaper, and then _spit in his face._ No one had ever _dared_ to do it before _._

" _Little twit!"_ Erigor roared. He uncovered his eye and wiped his face angrily, then simply stood there, dumbfounded at the _extremely silly_ faces that the girl morphed her face into to taunt him, ranging from the universal face of mocking stupidity (in which she jut out her jaw and exposed her teeth), to a childish raspberry with crossed eyes.

Her tongue immediately retreated back into her mouth when the space it previously occupied was replaced by a gleaming curved blade. Kageyama struggled valiantly to withhold a reflexive laugh, as her eyes didn't have the time to uncross. This was hardly the time to be laughing, _why was this so funny?_ Kageyama chalked it up to panic.

" _See if I don't cut off that little tongue of yours."_ Erigor hissed venomously. To her credit, the girl began to sweat a little.

"Sir, we can use her." Kageyama quickly interjected. "And I can keep her out of sight until we need her."

"..." Erigor paused, and for a moment Kageyama thought he may actually kill her and be done with it. Then the Reaper retracted his weapon, slowly, and wiped all remnants of her saliva from the tattooed part of his face. "See that you do. Since you were so successful today, I'll allow your little pet to live." Erigor turned his back to them, and the men in his way quickly parted to make room as he walked to the next car. "Next time...I won't be so lenient-"

"S-sir!" Karacka's request for attention abruptly gave way to a yelp of fear as he was met face to face with Erigor's scythe.

"You'd better have an _extremely_ good reason to have interrupted me again, Karacka."

"P-please forgive me sir," Karacka whimpered, shaking like a leaf. "B-but look!"

All heads moved towards where he pointed to the girl's forearm, and Erigor's eyes lit up with a kind of sick glee. Kageyama suddenly felt nauseous.

"Men!" Erigor addressed the group. "It seems a little fly has been caught in our web. We'd better be prepared for her friends, don't you think?"


End file.
